Free His Call by Emma Hart Page A

woman’s finger before I can go ahead and deal with the one who never should have had a ring in the first place.”

    ***

    She looks so peaceful lying in our bed, tangled in the sheets. She’s curled into a tiny ball, illuminated only by the light shining in through the gap in the curtains. But still, she’s so beautiful. So fucking beautiful.
    I strip silently, leaving my clothes in a heap on the floor before climbing into bed next to her. She curls up tighter , and I know she’s not asleep, so I reach forward and pull her into my arms.
    She sighs heavily as I tangle our bodies together and bury my face in her neck. Her hair tickles my nose , and the gentle scent of vanilla grounds me.
    “What are you doing?” she whispers. I can hear the tears in her voice and it breaks my heart.
    I kiss her shoulder and squeeze her to me. “I’m holding you, baby. What else do you think I’m doing?”
    “You shouldn’t be. You should hate me.”
    I shake my head, pulling her onto her back. Leaning over her, I gaze down into her sad eyes. Silly, silly woman.
    “I could neve r hate you, Dayton. Not ever.” A tear escapes the corner of her eye and I brush it away with my thumb, leaving my hand lying beside her face. “So don’t say such ridiculous things.”
    She cups my cheek. “Why aren’t you mad at me?”
    “Because you didn’t keep it a secret to spite me. You kept it to protect me, and yes, it was a little misguided and unnecessary, but you did it because you care.”
    “But you did that, too, and I left you.”
    I close the distance between our mouths and kiss her with the same certainty I purchased two rings with earlier. “I’m not leaving you, beautiful woman, so get that thought right out of your pretty little head. I’m not going anywhere and neither are you.”
    “But you di d. Earlier. When you found out. You left then.”
    There’s so much fear in her eyes. Oh, sweetheart.
    “Because I was a kind o f angry I never want you to see,” I say softly. “But it wasn’t at you. Not entirely, anyway. Most of it was at her, and if you hadn’t sent Tyler after me, I just might have found her apartment and done something incredibly stupid.”
    “I’m sorry.” She hugs me tightly, and I roll us onto our sides. I tuck her into my body, holding her so tight that I’m afraid I may snap her.
    I know how sorry she is. It’s in every unsaid word and every unshed tear.
    “I know. We’ll talk some more in the morning, okay? Get some sleep now.”
    “Never go to sleep on an argument,” she mutters. “That’s what my mom always taught me. You sort it out first.”
    “Bambi, we’re not arguing. Not even close.” I gently sweep my thumb over her eyelids, making her close her eyes, and rest one of her arms over my waist. She flattens her hand against my back, splaying her fingers. “Now we’re going to go to sleep together and wake up the same way, today and every day. Understand?”
    She buries her face into my neck with a nod. “I don’t deserve you.”
    That thought is so absurd, and I almost laugh as I kiss her head. “And I don’t deserve you, so I guess we’re even. Goodnight, sweetheart.”

The One With The Red Outfit

    I shut the door behind me and leave the keys on the table next to me. The house is completely silent—bar Dayton singing quietly upstairs. My lips curve into a gentle smile, and I pause at the bottom of the stairs, just listening to her slightly out-of-tune voice ramble the words of some song.
    I can barely believe she’s mine , this unbelievably gorgeous woman. After everything we’ve been through, sometimes I have to touch her to make sure she’s real and not a figment of my imagination. That this time, we’re getting it right, with no secrets or lies.
    This is nothing but me and the woman I have loved for as long as I remember in our Parisian hideaway.
    I quietly walk upstairs, my eyes on the cracked-open bedroom door the whole time. Her voice fades into a low hum in